YES! Weekly - February 14, 2024

YESWEEKLY.COM

THE TRIAD’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE SINCE 2005 FREE

YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SOURCE

SWEET TUNES

FROM TRIAD SWEETHEARTS ARGYLLE WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

P. 7

NIGHTBLOOMS

P. 8

GREAT BLACK SPEAKERS P. 13 FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

1

GET

inside

w w w.y e s w e e k l y. c o m

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024 VOLUME 20, NUMBER 7

10 5500 Adams Farm Lane Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL

VOTE NOW

VOTE.THETRIADSBEST.COM

MARK BURGER

2 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

SWEET TUNES FROM TRIAD SWEETHEARTS

KATEI CRANFORD JIM LONGWORTH NAIMA SAID DALIA RAZO LYNN FELDER PRODUCTION Senior Designer ALEX FARMER

Sweet tunes from sweethearts around the Triad, here’s a nod to sweeties sharing the stage with their better halves.

designer@yesweekly.com Designer SHANE HART artdirector@yesweekly.com

4

7

8

ADVERTISING Marketing ANGELA COX angela@yesweekly.com TRAVIS WAGEMAN travis@yesweekly.com Promotion NATALIE GARCIA

DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT

4

Originally, this was going to tout the February 18th screening of the award-winning documentary feature SIDNEY presented by the RiverRun International Film Festival at Marketplace Cinemas in Winston-Salem.

6 Within 20 years he had founded one of the most successful minority-owned businesses in America. My friend JOE DUDLEY passed away on February 8. He was 86 years old.

7 Outlandish, cartoonish, and wildly self-indulgent, producer/director Matthew Vaughn’s ARGYLLE is an off-the-wall action extravaganza that’s rarely on the mark.

8

A different love is in the air as NIGHTBLOOMS’ releases “Love Songs for the Apocalypse,” a four-song EP out March 8 via Sleepy Cat Records.

13 “We are in a time when the states are trying to do away with Black History,” said writer, producer, and filmmaker Larry “Syid” Wright about “GREAT BLACK SPEAKERS,” his event at the Greensboro History Museum, on Saturday, February 17th.

ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2024 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

[SPOTLIGHT]

#WHERESMARISSA?: GPD “INCREASINGLY CONCERNED” FOR MISSING WOMAN’S WELFARE

BY CHANEL DAVIS

It has been roughly a month since a missing persons report was filed for Marissa Kay Carmichael on January 14.

Greensboro Police Department has recently released a statement updating the public on their progress, and soliciting their assistance to find the missing mother of five.

On February 6 at 7:55 p.m., an image was posted to the department’s Facebook page. The image included the following statement as follows: As the investigation continues into the disappearance of Marissa Carmichael, our department is increasingly concerned for her welfare. We are urging anyone in the community with information on her whereabouts to please come forward and help reunite her with her family.

Our detectives have conducted more than a dozen interviews to date, obtained surveillance footage from Ms. Carmichael’s last known location, distributed flyers in the neighborhood adjacent to her last known location, and explored numerous leads that resulted in area searches. We are also using technology and other resources to help identify any additional leads.

Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers has received limited tips in this case. We ask anyone who has had any contact with Ms. Carmichael to please call Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000 or use the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to P3tips.com to submit a web tip. All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.

Carmichael went missing on January 14 following a night out at One 17 Sofa Bar

Read us on your phone when you’re at the bar by yourself.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

and Lounge, located at 117 N. Greene St. in Greensboro. According to the timeline that her mother, Sara, has been able to build, she was at an apartment at 444 Gorrell St. with several people on Saturday, January 13 and early Sunday morning, January 14. A 911 call was made from the Exxon at 801 E. Market St. by Marissa stating that someone had thrown her stuff out of a vehicle, taken her phone, left her stranded, and that she was looking to get back home.

According to GPD, “their investigation indicates that Ms. Carmichael was last seen at 3:46 a.m., January 14 at the Exxon.”

The News and Record reports that “a police officer went to the store to check on Carmichael around 4:20 a.m.” and that an officer “spoke with a store clerk who said Carmichael had gotten a ride from another customer.” The department’s P2C system shows that an incident report for a missing person was also filed on Sunday, January 14 at 4 p.m. from One 17 Sofa Bar and Lounge.

Numerous search parties by family, community organizers and friends have yet to turn up a location for Carmichael. The most recent one was just this past weekend. !

Camp is a place where I always feel LOVe. - Victory Junction Camper At Victory Junction, we believe that every child, regardless of their diagnosis or condition, should have the chance to just be a kid. That’s why we provide medically-safe camp experiences filled with discovery, friendship, and a lot of laughter, always at no cost to families.

Our adaptive, intentional programming removes barriers and helps campers experience adventure, find belonging, and build resilience.

Know a child living with a complex medical condition who is ready to experience all the magic, fun, and love of Victory Junction?

Encourage their family to apply!

Learn more and apply at victoryjunction.org/camperzone FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

3

visions

SEE IT!

RiverRun and Marketplace Cinemas screening of Sidney is sold out!

O

riginally, this was going to tout the February 18th screening of the award-winning documentary feature Sidney presented by the RiverRun Mark Burger International Film Festival at Marketplace Cinemas in Contributor Winston-Salem.

Instead, it’s about how the screening, although free, “sold out” mere days after being announced — the allotment of reservations filled completely. No one was more surprised, although delightedly, by Rob Davis, RiverRun executive director.

“The enduring popularity of Sidney Poitier resulted in the screening reaching capacity reservations literally after a couple of social-media mentions!” he said. “I don’t think in all my years I’ve seen a screening ‘sell-out’ that quickly!”

“We have had many RiverRun events sell out here, but none this early!” confirmed Zack Fox, general manager of Marketplace Cinemas. “RiverRun continues to grow and rise in stature as the premier Southeastern film showcase and film festival. Sidney Poitier is one of the most important actors to ever grace the screen. Partnering with RiverRun on such a tremendous event like this one is always a joy but being able to host a special screening with Pamela Poitier to celebrate her father during the week of Sidney’s birthday (February 20th) and during Black History Month is a trifecta celebration. It’s an event that cannot be missed!”

The 2022 feature documentary, directed by executive producer Reginald Hudlin, explores the remarkable life and career of actor/director/humanitarian Sidney Poitier, who died last year at age 95. The Miami-born, Bahamian-raised actor was the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor (1963’s Lilies of the Field) and the first African American superstar, one whose appeal transcended all ethnic or racial boundaries. He became a legend in his own time, an inspiration to countless actors and performers of color, and to

4 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

audiences the world over.

The special guest at the Marketplace screening will be Pamela Poitier, Sidney’s daughter, who will participate in an on-stage interview with Jackie Alexander, the producing artistic director of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, which produces the International Black Theatre Festival in WinstonSalem every other year. Pamela Poitier is herself an artist, having appeared in 1980’s Stir Crazy and 1990’s Ghost Dad (both directed by her father), acted onstage in the Broadway production of The Gospel of Colonus opposite Morgan Freeman (who appears in Sidney), and published a book of poetry entitled “A Woman’s Soul.” She has taught at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City and currently works as a conservationist in the Bahamas.

The film Sidney was directed by executive producer Reginald Hudlin (House Party, Boomerang, Marshall) and culled from eight hours of interview footage with Sidney Poitier conducted by producer Oprah Winfrey in 2012 and includes the participation of such luminaries as Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Lenny Kravitz, and Winfrey herself — as well as members of Poitier’s family. The film was approved and sanctioned by the Poitier family.

“I think the film is an excellent portrayal of Sidney Poitier’s life and career,” Davis said. “The project benefited immensely from having eight hours of interview footage recorded with Mr. Poitier by Oprah Winfrey in 2012. That footage, along with archival footage and comments from colleagues and co-stars weaves together a complete look at a remarkable life.”

Given Poitier’s many screen triumphs — The Defiant Ones (1958), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), A Patch of Blue (1965), To Sir, With Love (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Guess Who s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Wilby Conspiracy (1975), et al — it’s hard to select a single favorite.

“There are many of his films I count among my favorites,” Davis said. “One performance I especially enjoy is his portrayal of a teacher somewhat out of his element at a troubled London high school in To Sir, With Love. I think his acting ability with evident from his very first role in No Way Out, as a doctor confronting racism — a remarkable film for 1950 from a major studio (Fox). And last, but not least, his work with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

Kevin Thomas, the long-time film critic for the Los Angeles Times, not only had the enviable task of reviewing some of Poitier’s most popular films but

also the privilege of encountering him personally — an experience he remembers vividly.

“I met him only briefly and I was overwhelmed by his presence,” Thomas said.

“He had amazing presence! It wasn’t forced, it wasn’t a put-on. It came from within, inherently. He was very tall and very striking — and also very gracious.

One of the strongest presences I’ve ever met.”

In addition, he recalled, “I was lucky enough to review To Sir, With Love. The studio (Columbia) had no idea what to do with it, and it went right through the roof! I later reviewed Uptown Saturday Night and Let’s Do It Again, and those really were crossover films; it didn’t matter what color the audience was. His appeal went beyond all that. Those films were big hits and they were funny, and it was interesting to me that Sidney could play comedy and direct comedy — neither of which is easy!”

The 26th annual RiverRun International Film Festival is scheduled for April 18th-27th, 2024.

The official Marketplace Cinemas website is https://www.mpcws. com/ and the official RiverRun website is https://riverrunfilm.com/. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies. © 2024, Mark Burger.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

photos

[FACES & PLACES]

VISIT YESWEEKLY.COM/GALLERIES TO SEE MORE PHOTOS!

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

SHARED EXHIBITION FROM ALPHA TO CREATION CONNECTS THE TRIAD AND THE TRIANGLE

BY SECCA

Bi-Rite Cookie Walk 2.9.24 | Stokesdale

For the first time as affiliated institutions, SECCA (North Carolina Museum of Art, Winston-Salem) the North Carolina Museum of Art (in Raleigh) and present a shared exhibition between both spaces, bringing awareness of global artists to audiences across our state.

Examining place and theology from North Carolina to eastern Texas, “From Alpha to PHOTO COURTESY OF © BURK UZZLE Creation: Religion in the Deep Burk Uzzle, “Camy Truck with Jesus,” 2009.

South” incorporates photogCourtesy of North Carolina Museum of Art, raphy, video, and sculpture to Raleigh. Purchased with funds from the Wilsurvey various iconography and liam R. Roberson Jr. and Frances M. Roberson rituals throughout our landEndowed Fund for North Carolina Art. scape.

The exhibition is on view signify their devotion or hierarchy. The through May 26 in SECCA’s Potter Galexhibition’s video and sculpture comlery, and through August 18 in NCMA’s plete the survey of spiritual practices East Building Photography Galleries. by interpreting the extensive rituals Admission is free and open to the and traditions that span as far back as public. precontact Indigenous societies.

“From Alpha to Creation” distinIn Winston-Salem, visitors will expeguishes itself from antiquated or rience a multimedia display of photogheavily stereotyped studies of Southraphy, video, and sculpture that covers ern culture that often disregard our similar concepts but delves deeper into complexities. It instead focuses on the the interconnectivity of spiritual beliefs spiritual innovations that allow many across time. This display includes works of us to maintain a dedicated relationfrom artists like Jamal Cyrus, Baseera ship with our religious heritages, from Khan, Brandon Thibodeaux, Bill Aron, Abrahamic denominations to comand Earlie Hudnall, Jr. It also features posite belief systems like Hoodoo. For new works by Keni Anwar, Ralph Burns, many artists throughout the exhibition and Luzene Hill.

— who originated or worked extensively In Raleigh, the exhibition fills the two in the region — the South represents a B-Level Photography Galleries with unique context for religious expression imagery centered around ritual and reflected by our racial, political, and landscape from artists like Alec Soth, economic structures.

Allison Janae Hamilton, and Ralph The exhibition leads with documenBurns. This selection also includes tary photography that grounds its works from the museum’s collection, analysis of Southern culture with actuwith appearances by noted photograal people and circumstances throughphers Eudora Welty, Deborah Luster, out the region. Landscape photography and Margaret Sartor. At the center illustrates the physical prominence of of the gallery, artist Charles Edward iconography and messaging embedded Williams presents his deeply personal in the environment. Meanwhile, portraifilm, The Call. ture demonstrates the social effect of Visit SECCA.org and NCArtMuseum. adornment throughout different faiths, org to learn more and plan your visit. ! with examples of people using dress to FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

5

voices

SEND YOUR LETTER TO THE EDITOR TO CHANEL@YESWEEKLY.COM

J

oe Dudley grew up in rural North Carolina, living in a small house with his ten siblings. His pronounced speech impediment prompted Joe’s first grade teacher to Jim Longworth label him mentally retarded, and he was held back. It would Longworth be the last time at Large anyone would hold Joe back. Within 20 years he had founded one of the most successful minorityowned businesses in America. My friend Joe Dudley passed away on February 8. He was 86 years old.

I first met Joe back in 2006 when he was a guest on Triad Today. He made a number of subsequent appearances on my show, as did his wife Eunice and daughter Ursula. Eunice helped start Dudley Beauty Products and today, Ursula runs the company, which has customers all over the world.

In 1998, Joe penned a book, which can best be described as a combination autobiography and self-help primer for entrepreneurs. “I am, I Can, I Will: Walking By Faith” should be on the bedside table of every aspiring business person.

Joe dedicated the book to his mentor S.B. Fuller, a self-made African American business owner whose biography accurately

Program Coordinator for Chinese Student Life Winston Salem, NC Cultivate connections & community among university’s large Chinese international student population.

Req.: Bachelor’s + 2 yrs. exp; & fluency in English & Mandarin (oral & written) languages.

Send CV to Wake Forest Univ., 1834 Wake Forest Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27109, Attn: K. Hubbard.

6 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

Remembering Joe Dudley

Joe Dudley describes Fuller as a “Pioneer in Black Economic Development.”

Joe credits his success to Mr. Fuller and writes about him in “Walking By Faith.”

“Mr. Fuller believed that through hard work any obstacle could be overcome. It reinforced my notion that I could overcome the characterizations that plagued my childhood. I didn’t have to be mentally retarded. I didn’t have to be slow. I didn’t have to let a speech impediment stop me from speaking in public. The world had no limit as long as I worked hard. Mr. Fuller was good at giving hope and encouragement.”

WE’RE NOT CHEAP, WE’RE FREE!

LOCAL & FREE SINCE 2005

Both Joe and Eunice began by opening a Fuller distributorship, then when inventory was in short supply, the power couple started selling their own products under the Dudley name, and the rest is history.

Upon learning of Joe’s passing, I went back and watched some of the Triad Today segments we did together, and one of my favorite episodes is from April of 2007.

It was vintage Joe Dudley as he offered his take on the importance of saving money.

Jim: This is financial literacy month and I’m reminded that more and more local school systems are working with folks like Consumer Credit Counseling and area banks to offer financial literacy instruction to students. I know you agree that we need to give kids practical experience early on, right?

Joe: Absolutely. I think that’s very important. I started saving money early. I used to put pennies and dimes in a little can, where I couldn’t take it out, and that was the beginning of what we do in our business. We insist that everybody should save some money every week, every pay period. Because if you save money, it gives you self-control and confidence in that you have more than you did last year, last month, last week.

Jim: Do you come across kids who need to know and want to know about things like how to save?

Joe: Absolutely and they need to start saving now. So many people get themselves messed up because they don’t know how to balance a checkbook. They

don’t know how to use credit properly, don’t know how to get a car loan or home loan, and they need to know these things as early as they possibly can.

Jim: Recent studies show that the average household owes about $12,000 dollars in credit card debt. Why is this happening?

Joe: Well, people to some degree don’t know how to manage their money and they spend more than they make. I tell people, “You’re alright if you spend less than you make.” Nobody makes you spend more than you make. You have to have some discipline and you have to work on it. One young woman said to another, “I don’t want to work for Dudley,” and the other lady said, “WHY?” and she said, “because he makes you save money” (laughs).

Jim: How much money did you have when you started out?

Joe: I started out with $10, and now we’ve built a business all over the world.

I just got back from Malaysia and Japan and we built it all on $10. But it was something more than that. I saved money in spite of everything, I don’t care what it was. I don’t care how much it was. I went into the bank once and just put 50 cents in my account. People look at me and say, “there’s something wrong with that guy”, but I knew one thing. I was forming a habit of saving.

Jim: If I give you $10 right now, can you make millions for me?

Joe: (laughs) I wish I could (laughs).

Jim: Oh, so now you’re backing up!

I offered to give you $10, and now Mr. Philosophy is backing out on me.

Joe: Well, I can show you how to put that $10 into something else.

Jim: I’m not disciplined enough for that.

You’re going to have to leave now.

Joe: (laughs) Joe Dudley did help others learn to save money and learn self-assurance. He helped jump start careers and made it possible for some folks who worked for him to start their own business. And so, what he inscribed in my copy of his book is, to say the least, ironic. He wrote, “To Jim. Thank you for all the good you do.”

It’s an inscription that we all should have written to Joe. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

flicks

SCREEN IT!

Stumbling spy-jinks on display in Argylle

O

utlandish, cartoonish, and wildly self-indulgent, producer/ director Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle is an off-the-wall Mark Burger action extravaganza that’s rarely on the mark. Despite Contributor a talented starstudded cast, various international locales, and plenty of slick gunplay, it’s the sort of campy, cheeky romp far too consumed with its own ostensible cleverness to hit the bullseye, to say nothing of the target — although not for lack of trying.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elly Conway, the mousy author of a best-selling series of spy novels depicting the adventures of its titular super-agent (played

by Henry Cavill) as he and sidekick Wyatt (John Cena) battle the minions of “The Division,” a covert international espionage ring that has gone rogue. But she’s having trouble coming up with an ending for the fifth installment.

Inspiration, such as it is, strikes when she encounters the loquacious and shaggy Aiden Wilde (Sam Rockwell) aboard a train. He claims to be not only a fan but also to be a spy himself, and in quick succession vanquishes several assassins and beats a hasty, high-flying retreat with the understandably confused Elly — and her feline friend Alfie — in tow.

Thus begins a rapid-fire series of twists, turns, and double-crosses as Elly learns that The Division is indeed real, up to no good (big surprise), and that she herself has direct ties to it.

The storyline, cooked up by producer/ screenwriter Jason Fuchs (who also appears in the film), seems to have been conceived in the moment, as it’s happening on the screen — but not in a good way. Characters are required to rattle off reams of exposition in a shaky effort to keep the viewer up to speed, punctuated by carefully choreographed, CGI-laden mayhem that is visually impressive but nothing we haven’t seen before.

Too many of the familiar tropes are trotted out: Close calls and narrow escapes, high-tech trappings, fist-flying hand-to-hand combat, and WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

armies of black-clad baddies brandishing automatic weapons blasting away, hitting absolutely everything in sight except the people they’re trying to kill. The film’s myriad inspirations include but are not limited to, the Bond films, the Bourne films, Romancing the Stone and Cloak and Dagger (1984), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), certain works by Philip K. Dick, and even Jake Speed (1986) — for those who might remember that little number.

The attractive cast performs with a zesty exuberance. The actors look like they’re having a ball, but the audience may not feel likewise. Howard and the ever-animated Rockwell occasionally succeed in establishing comedic chemistry, but less so the inevitably required romantic one. Bryan Cranston, as the Division’s devious director, and Catherine O’Hara are always worth watching. Cavill and Cena are wooden. Ariana DeBose, Dua Lipa (who also croons the theme song), Sofia Boutella, Rob Delaney, and

Richard E. Grant are essentially wasted, and it’s hardly a surprise to see Samuel L. Jackson, doing what has become his stock role-in-trade: Delivering exposition (yes, even more) while surrounded by enormous computer screens. Thus far, 2024 has been a disappointment for Oscar winner DeBose, having recently appeared in the sci-fi dud I.S.S., but at least she had something to do there.

Argylle never quite becomes boring, but too frequently it is tedious and tiresome. It’s mindless entertainment with so much spinning in its noggin that it can’t make up its mind, much less make a sustained impression. The prevailing mood of Argylle is one of confusion.

Vaughn envisioned it as a full-blown franchise with direct ties to his earlier Kingsman films — but given Argylle’s tepid critical and financial reception, that seems like wishful thinking on his part. One’s enough. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies.

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

7

tunes

HEAR IT! PHOTO BY KATEI CRANFORD

A

Love Songs for the Apocalypse

different love is in the air as Nightblooms’ releases “Love Songs for the Apocalypse,” a foursong EP out March 8 via Sleepy Cat Records.

Katei Cranford “Love Songs for the Apocalypse” is the second installContributor ment of Nightblooms’ leading to their debut album, “The Slow Decline,” which is being released, trilogy-style, through a series of three EPs. The first installment, “Night Blooms in the Apocalypse” dropped in September; the next “Free Time in the Apocalypse” is due this summer.

Dubbed “the Apocalypse trilogy,” the work as a whole explores shared anxieties: “the deterioration of the planet and those who profit from it, the comfort and corruption of religion, our global slide into chaos, the grief of living through end times.” While heavy, these “themes float across tracks that bounce and shimmer.”

Ultimately, offering “fun songs about the end of the world.”

It can’t all be total doom and gloom — despite the real horrors, there’s love. And community. And music, naturally.

Expanding around Logan’s internal processes and interactions, questions offer a foundation in the first EP that resonates across installments: “What happens to our relationships during a slow-moving apocalypse? Do concepts like “‘self-esteem’ or ‘doubt’ matter dur-

8 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

PHOTO BY ANNA MAYNARD

ing the end times? How can we help one another when traditional support systems crumble around us?”

For the second chapter, Nightblooms focuses precision on the personal — botting the big questions and worldly scope of the first EP inward. From macro to micro, the songs are “as personal as it gets.”

For Logan, it was an exercise in “mining and interrogating my own demons for inspiration and, hopefully, catharsis.”

Traversing territory not entirely unfamiliar, “Love Songs” takes a slightly more upbeat direction — demons and all.

Drawing literary influences from works like Emily St. John Mandel’s “Station Eleven” and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road,” there’s a present vulnerability attached to times of crisis. While Logan’s world remains apocalyptic, the EP explores a path to understanding through songs that “seek to understand how grief burrows into and constricts otherwise healthy relationships” while dissecting the perils of intrusive thoughts during “late-night introspection into all the ways we fail ourselves.”

The lead single, “Comfort Chemicals” serves as a bonafide long song: “an ode to the restorative, unexplainable power love has to reshape and rebuild our broken spirits.” Instrumentally, the song strikes chords invoking the Velvet Underground’s brand of simplicity before blossoming into a lush crescendo — rivaling the echoes of a chamber orchestra — thanks in part to the guest performance from fellow Sleepy Cat artist Libby Rodenbough.

Matching the vulnerability within himself to the EP’s thematic undertakings, Logan wrote “Comfort Chemicals” well before Nightblooms came to fruition

— and it’s only now, within the safe space the project conjures, has he been able to lay bare such notions and needs.

After all, “we may be staring down an apocalypse,” he said, “but we’ll have to learn to stare down our own demons first.”

Staring down the path that led to Nightblooms, fighting metaphorical demons in the face of the apocalypse wasn’t always Logan’s intention. Spurred almost by accident — and a panic attack — during the pandemic, Logan’s lyrics veered into territory too vulnerable to place in projects of the time.

The pandemic continued. The vibes shifted. People changed. The material inspired by these times no longer fit the mold of Logan’s work with Lilac Shadows — a long-running project with its next full length nearing completion at the time.

Swept in a sea of artistic change, the release of Lilac Shadows’ 2021 album, “The Other Side of Night,” was accompanied by the announcement of Logan forming Nightblooms.

As Nightblooms took shape, demos turned to songs. Songs deserved a record.

Logan tapped longtime friend and former bandmate Saman Khoujinian (Chatham Rabbits, Sylvan Esso, Mipso, Mountain Man, Wye Oak) as producer. Working incrementally over two years across a handful of studios (including the Sylvan Esso home base, Betty’s in Chapel Hill, and Small Pond Music studios in rural Chatham County), the pair enlisted the talents of artists like the aforementioned Libby Rodenbough, along with Ellis Anderson (No One Mind, The Toddlers), Reed Benjamin (CALAPSE, Raund Haus), Charity Lane, and fellow Sleepy Cat labelmate

Chessa Rich (who plays keyboard in the live show lineup).

Together, the lineup expands Nightblooms’ sonic palette beyond the basic acoustic guitar, bass, and drums to encompass a universe flush with “vintage synthesizers, lap steel guitars, pianos, drum machines, and string arrangements.”

Rich and Logan are joined by Logan’s former TOW3RS bandmate, Derek Torres (lead guitar), Rich (keyboard), Lenwood Edwards (bass), and Steven Diaz (drums) in bringing that universe to the stage; which they’ll for the EP release show with Rodes Baby at the Flat Iron on March 9.

“Love Songs for the Apocalypse,” the second installment EP in Nightblooms’ trilogy drops March 8.

The latest single, “Comfort Chemicals,” is available to stream as a pre-order on Bandcamp. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

leisure [KING CROSSWORD]

[WEEKLY SUDOKU]

FOURTH-ESTATE FANTASY

ACROSS 1 7 10 13 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 29 30 31 32 35 43 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 55 60 61 62 63 66 67 70 72 73 75

Not quite first-rate “Patience — virtue” Car tankful Collie of TV Cattle farm of the West Trumpet blast Singer and actor Frankie When it’s 12:00 p.m.

Element #3 Japanese city that hosted the 1998 Olympics Start of a riddle Japanese buckwheat noodle Dr. Seuss’ Sam- — Amo, amas, — “Addams Family” cousin Riddle, part 2 Faint smell Foldout bed Co-workers of MDs Stalactite site Florence’s river Total amount “Scram!”

Minecraft and StarCraft, e.g.

Riddle, part 3 Brief promos Triceps’ place Pop’s Celine See 58-Down Bullfighter Riddle, part 4 Put a new front on, as a building Unbroken Recognized With 59-Down, brand of

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

frozen potatoes Famously feisty fish Riddle, part 5 Oval shape Dejected “Who am — judge?”

Secret writing Postal pieces Detectives like TV’s Magnum, for short 89 Karachi’s nation: Abbr.

91 Very long time periods 92 End of the riddle 99 Disloyal type 100 Impulsive desire 101 Illusionist Geller 102 Like planted seeds 104 Riddle’s answer 113 Enter very quickly 114 Novelist Caldwell 115 Common gauge for toy trains 116 “Despite that ...”

117 Gets smaller 118 “Happy Days” actress Ross 119 Bunks on ships 120 Mil. ranker 121 Gym pad 122 Hole to receive a lace 76 77 81 84 85 86 87 88

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Bird’s crop Trellis strip “Noelle” star Kendrick Glasgow natives Grandstander Chimpanzee variety “— have to wait” Got married

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 27 28 32 33 34 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 49 50 51 52 53 54 56 57 58 59

Lure for insect extermination The earth as a goddess Cut — (dance) Pago Pago people “Meteor” actor Martin 1972 Billy Wilder comedy film Long, involved story Shut loudly Actress Skye of “Stranded” Grammy winner Brian “— the breaks!”

Former Egypt-Syr. alliance Texter’s “Holy smokes!”

“Let me!”

Bases-loaded situation Lightweight kitchen utensils Peak Chicago daily, in brief Global: Abbr.

Mark for life Easter meat Adam’s mate — Moines Bob of choreography Tahitian skirts Package delivery co.

Carpentry material for some cabinets Chi follower Spicy Spanish pork sausage Taxonomic subdivisions Become lively Cheer yell With 63-Across, for the time being See 75-Across

63 64 65 67

Oven used to bake naan Spiny anteater Most unkind Conservation org. with a panda logo 68 Pooch’s yap 69 Big blue body 71 Genre of many sitcoms 74 Wide shoe spec 76 Mining shaft 77 Higher ground?

78 “You wish!”

79 Conde — 80 User-edited website 81 Rescue squad VIP 82 “— -di-dah!”

83 False story 88 Projecting curves on saddles 89 By the day 90 Huffington of HuffPost 91 So to speak 93 Wise-acting 94 Thick-skinned critters 95 Day, in Chile 96 Studly guys 97 Abbr. on a bad check 98 End a vacation 103 Mother-of-pearl 104 Surfing need 105 Cake finisher 106 Holy Week’s time 107 Eldest of the Brady boys 108 Helper: Abbr.

109 For fear that 110 Half a train track 111 — gin fizz 112 Camp shelter 113 Yank’s rival

COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT EXCITING OPPORTUNITY AWAITS IN JAMESTOWN, NC! Unveiling a spectacular commercial space for rent at 206 E. Main St., Jamestown. Nestled at the hill’s pinnacle, this 3200 sqft gem on a sprawling 1 acre lot is your canvas for business brilliance!

What makes it extraordinary:

• Prime location in Jamestown • Ample parking for your patrons • Spacious yard area to enhance your ambiance

Imagine the possibilities!

Formerly a chic high-end boutique that captivated hearts for 8 years, this space is now ready to be transformed into the next big thing.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity.

Rent terms: 5 years @ $5000 month Contact Charles at 336-253-6164 or email publisher@yesweekly.com FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

9

feature

Featuring the married duo of Pedal Steel Hall of Fame Inductee DaShawn Hickman and singer, Wendy Hickman (affectionately known as “#teamHickman,”) the pair exudes sweet soulfulness in their home and on stage — having been “doing music together” for half of their relationship.

Wendy’s vocals accent DaShawn’s debut album, “Drums, Roots & Steel,” which picked up nominations at the 2023 Blues Music Awards and 2023 Blues Blast Music Awards. They’ll celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary on July 22, but their connection made music from the beginning.

“We met during a church gospel singing program in Thomasville,” Wendy explained. “I was singing with a girl group and he was playing lead guitar for another gospel group, when I walked in the church our eyes immediately locked because he was up playing as I was walking to my seat.”

Setting the tone with the sweetest selffulfilling prophecy, “DaShawn was talking to one of the guys in his group and when I walked by, he said: ‘Hey man I’m going to marry her’.”

“But little did he know I was plotting my own way to introduce myself,” Wendy continued. “I asked one of my daughters to go give him my phone number — she comes back and says, ‘Mom, he said if you want him to have your number, then give it to him yourself!’ We haven’t been apart since that day: June 10th, 2011.”

A source of support and inspiration in life and song, “I’m in the process of writing a song now so I don’t wanna give it away just yet,” she said with a wink. Together, they’re currently writing DaShawn’s sophomore album, due later this year. “We’re putting our heart and soul in this one and can’t wait to share it with the world.”

Giving there all to each other and the world. “We just want to spread love and joy to people,” DaShawn said. “That’s our mission, me and my wife both.”

10 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

HI CK MA

N’S

As for their joys, John Legend’s “All of Me” strikes a chord. “When we’re riding in the car traveling, it’s one song that when we hear it we both start harmonizing in three parts and sing together,” Wendy said, with anticipation to spend the holiday comfortably at home. “We enjoy cooking our own Valentine’s dinner together instead of going out,” she explained. “We eat out a lot on the road so we try to do home cooking more.”

But the road awaits: “We’re getting ready for a lot of great festivals and performances this spring and summer,” Wendy noted, with references to bookings at The Flat Iron, Floyd Fest, Tow Down Festival, and The N.C. Historic Museum.

“Just to name a couple,” she added. “We’re excited for everything that’s coming up!

Follow us on our Facebook band page to see what’s next!” https://www.facebook.com/p/ DaShawn-and-Wendy-Hickman-Music-100089379981225

MODERN MOXIE

Technically based out of Charlotte, Modern Moxie features High Point native, Harry Kollm on bass; and is fronted by Kollm’s wife, synth-player and guitarist Madison Lucas.

“We’ve been together 11 years,” Lucas said. “It’s become my favorite number since we got married on November 11. So cheesy.”

It’s a heartwarmingly appropriate notion for the pair who met at the Queen City dive bar, Jack Beagles. “They have wonderful macaroni and cheese,” Lucas noted. “I zeroed in on Harry like a hawk and bothered him immediately,” she recalled. ”Fortunately it went well for me, it was a risky move.“ “We’ve played together for fun since

MO

DE

PHOTO BY KATEI CRANFORD

E TH

Contributor

DASHAWN AND WENDY HICKMAN MUSIC

MO XIE

Katei Cranford

we met,” she continued, tracing their bandmate-d courtship. “But we’ve been officially in a band of some sort since 2013.” These days, the couple makes up half of the indie rock quartet, Modern Moxie, who’ve put out two albums thus far — with a third, “Tripping the Light Fantastic,” expected by the summer.

“The song, ‘Believers in Sound’ [off 2019’s “Claw Your Way Out”] is definitely inspired heavily by Harry,” Lucas noted, turning to their catalog. “I tell him he gets 50% though because it is also inspired by one of my best friends, Shirley Griffith.

I was honestly thinking of both of them and the whole music community when I wrote that one.”

Adding to the sweetness, Griffith designed the art for 2022’s “Gutter Honey” and is married to lead guitarist Phil Pucci.

“Phil actually officiated our wedding,” Lucas beamed, recalling Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine” as their “romantic song” that played for their first dance. “I can’t hear it without crying,” she added with a laugh. “Our rock song, however — that I hear Harry constantly noodling on guitar — is Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.”

“Harry is too busy laying down sick bass lines so he has yet to write me poetry, but he does help me with lyrics occasionally,” she continued, pointing to their upcoming single “Live a Fantasy,” which drops February 16.

As for holiday plans, “we’ll be at home avoiding crowds and watching Ancient Aliens, most likely,” Lucas said. “Maybe get take-out.”

“So hot,” she continued, in a deadpan befitting their upcoming show at Snug Harbor on February 29. “It’s a Leap Day Wes Anderson Themed event with one of my absolute favorite bands — who’s also a couple — Monsoon from Athens, GA.” “There’ll also be burlesque, aerial, and a

G RE NT INSTA

weet tunes from sweethearts around the Triad, here’s a nod to sweeties sharing the stage with their better halves.

RN

S

Sweet Tunes from Triad Sweethearts

RE TS

costume contest — you can’t make these gigs up,” Lucas added, with adoration for her hubby and community. “I’m constantly posting about awesome shows happening in the area,” she said, with love for “so much good music to find in the Carolinas.” http://www.modernmoxieband.com/

INSTANT REGRETS

Getting sappy, this writer actually officiated the wedding for a member of Instant Regrets — and while co-fronting guitarist Jerrod Smith’s wife Jessica does appear on his annual solo Halloween albums — it’s actually Instant Regrets’ bassist Kelly Cranford and guitarist/co-lead, Jeff Gordon who make up the couple anchoring half of the “Guided By Voices-core” grunge-punk band.

“We’ve been together about 10 years,” Cranford recalled of getting together with Gordon, who’d been part of the Instant Regrets duo with Smith for a handful of years prior. “I think I joined the band in like 2017,” she added. “So I guess we’ve been playing together for like seven years. Both periods have FLOWN by.”

As Cranford’s sister and neighbor to the couple: I’ll attest the time flying by watching them blossom as a couple and rip as a band — though the latter isn’t surprising given their musical history that brought them together.

“We met at CFBG’s way back in the day,” Cranford explained. “Sam Martin (The Three-Brained Robot) had booked Jeff’s band (Dumpster) and my band (the Nondenoms) on a show together.” Years flew by — bands dissolved and formed — these days close friends refer to the couple by the portmanteau “Jelly.”

“Now I get to be in a band with my favorite guitar player of all time, who’s

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

www.yesweekly.com

TH E

T ES E

OIC CH

K LY

’S READER

S

VOTED THE TRIAD’S BEST RIBS

The Polk Duo

Getting into sweet duos, Myranda and Kasey Polk have been playing as The Polk Duo for 11 years, while sharing life as a couple for 13.

“We met in the N.C. A&T Jazz Band.

Kasey played jazz guitar and clarinet and I became a vocalist shortly after,” Myranda explained. “We started practicing together on a voice and guitar jazz song called “Tenderly” and the rest is history.”

Within that history, Coltrane’s “Central Park West” holds a special place in their relationship. “It’s the very first song we danced to, and later became the song for our first dance at our wedding,” she said, turning to their catalog. “We have an original song and music video called ‘Rewind.’

It uses my affinity for Black TV shows from the 90s and the nostalgic VHS as a metaphor for our relationship.”

These days, the couple keeps things lowkey, with a heavier focus on private gigs, two little boys, and their homebaking business, Ky & Kol Cookies (named after their sons). “We don’t have the time we used to, to get out there and gig like PAGE 12]

Weekly Specials

MON: $2.50 Domestic Bottles & All Burgers $10.99 TUE: 1/2 Price Wine | WED: $4 Draft THU: $8 Bud Light Pitchers & $3 Fireball

Band Schedule FEBRUARY 15 Metro Jethro’s

FEBRUARY 18 Traditional Irish Music

VOTED BEST BURGER IN HIGH POINT DURING EAT AND DRINK BURGER WEEK

1232 NORTH MAIN STREET, HIGH POINT, NC 27262 WWW.SWEETOLDBILLS.COM | (336) 807-1476 Du o

Royal Jelly

Extending the sweetness into another sort of jelly is the love shared between Royal Jelly’s co-vocalists Chris Powell and Bianca ‘Queen Bee’ Gabrielle.

“We actually met through music at a house show Chris was throwing and performing at during his Charles Hanson Family Band days,” Gabrielle explained.

“We’ve been together going on four years now! And have been playing music together since November of 2020, six months into our relationship.“ Looking back in adoration, “When we first started dating, Bee would hang during our CHFB rehearsals, she’d just be quietly rocking out with us, but I never heard her sing along,” Powell recalled, “Fast forward three months, we’re rolling to Wilmington on a getaway and Bee cranked some Tool. All of a sudden, this quiet woman who I’m falling in love with started busting out the lyrics note for note with Maynard! I was a smitten kitten — it was the first time I heard her sing. I was floored.”

“Bee has inspired many a word from my pen,” he continued, “but a lot of those songs are between us. My favorite, ‘Mariposa,’ remains unpublished. I felt compelled to pen in Spanish to capture the emotion properly. It basically says she’s my stars and the moon, and I’ll never be lost because I can look up and see her.”

Gabrielle’s songwriting offers a different dramatic flair. “Most of them are silly,” she said, “like, ‘he tried to poke my eyes out’ or something.”

With a love language rooted in trading music, “we don’t really have a song,” Powell said, “but we definitely have bands

2023 EE

W

also my boyfriend,” Cranford beamed.

“To borrow and butcher a quote from the 1997 classic romantic comedy, As Good as it Gets: ‘He makes me wanna be a better bass player’. It’s dope.”

Instant Regrets recently released a cover album of their 2023 Halloween set, and a new EP is in the works. http://www.instantregrets.com/

IAD’S B TR

YES!

Roya l Jelly

that we both love like All Them Witches, Tool, Susanne Sundfor, Dijon, Jim Croce.

Whenever we hear something cool we’ll text the songs back and forth.“ Echoing their first date — a five-mile hike — the active couple is looking forward to hitting the gym. “We joke that we gotta stay in shape for the gigs, which is honestly no joke at all,” Powell noted. “We just took a couples yoga class at Oden last Sunday! It was so much fun and really challenging in a great way. Totally recommended.”

As for the band, Royal Jelly is wrapping production on a new album. They’ll perform as part of the Otis & Wawa St. Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl and are preparing to present their annual Spring Equinox Festival at Oden Brewing on March 23. https://www.instagram.com/royal_jelly_music/

MONDAY-THURSDAY 11AM-10 PM | FRIDAY-SATURDAY 11AM-11PM SUNDAY 11AM-8PM | BRUNCH 11AM-2PM

k ol P e Th

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

11

BROWN MOUNTAIN LIGHTNING BUGS

Assistant Professor of French Studies

12 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

Meanwhile, the couple behind the Flat Iron also shares appreciation — for the music, each other, and the community they serve.

Josh King and Abbey Spoon have been together for 11 years now. Their relationship started like the Hickmans — with a saucier, but no less sweet — self-fulfilling prophecy: “We met through mutual friends, who tried to set us up for years but neither of us were interested,” Spoon explained. “One drunken night at Greene Street I blurted, ‘I’m going to marry you, Josh King, if it’s the last thing I do’.”

BR

Winston Salem, NC Teach French courses (lower & upper division). Reqs. PhD, background in literature of francophone Africa & its diaspora, & native or near-native fluency in French.

Send CV to Wake Forest Univ., 1834 Wake Forest Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27109, Attn: K. Hubbard.

Composed of married couple Kendra and Zack Harding, Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs are another dog-lovin folkster duo with a taste for lore and a love for one another.

“We’ve been together for nine years,” Kendra said, aghast at the years. ”It’ll be a decade playing together this spring.

Whew! Time flies!”

Gasping over the years and their origins, “a lot of folks know we met at an open mic that Zack hosted,” Kendra explained.

“But not a lot of people know that our first conversation took place when Zack crashed a date I was on with someone else. I showed up to the open mic with another guy, and Zack waltzed over and sat down to talk with us. The guy left eventually and Zack stuck around.”

Scandalous and sweet, Kendra settles on their song being Jason Isbell’s “If We

JOSH KING AND ABBEY SPOON, OF THE FLAT IRON

OW

NM

I NG OUT AIN LIGHT

BU

PHOTO BY TODD TURNER

BB E

N

G

PHOTO BY KATEI CRANFORD

mundanities of everyday life, like at the grocery store?”

“The answer to that question is in the song, of course,” she added, as though their persona lends no hints. “We do have a couple’s song, though. It’s the only cover we’ve released to date, actually: Elvis Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love.’”

“So many people thought we were crazy jumping into things so fast, but we both just knew it was right.”

As the years go by, the couple is gearing up to release their second album over the summer. They look forward to sharing those songs — and celebrating Valentine’s in their own sort of way: preparing a fundraiser on February 15 for Laurelyn Dossett, “our friend and N.C. folk-singing treasure,” who’s running for N.C. Senate District 31.

“Should we make up something more romantic so your readers won’t be disappointed?,” they asked, plugging their upcoming show with Doug Davis at the Reeves Theater on February 23. True to song, the sweetness from Couldn’t Be Happiers seeps through the otherwise mundane. https://couldntbehappiers.com/

GS

COULDN’T BE HAPPIERS

Taking the sweetness to new levels, Jodi Hildebran and Jordan Crosby Lee in Couldn’t Be Happiers share sasquatchsized affection for one another, while sharing their blend of “Folk Rock for Everyone.”

“Jordan packed up his truck and dog and came up here in the summer of 2017, so we’ve been together for nearly seven years,” Jodi reckoned. “In May, we’ll celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.“ “The first time I met Jordan was at an old-time pickers’ circle,” she continued. “He was wearing a Bigfoot t-shirt, and then he played his song, “Gone Squatchin,” so I just remember thinking, ‘this guy really likes Bigfoot!”

Unbeknownst at the time, Jodi’s vocals would end up accenting that very song on Couldn’t Be Happiers first album. Bigfoots and big hearts, “Jordan is the sweet one,” she admitted. “He’s written several love songs about me, including one on our upcoming album called, “Wherever You Go.” It’s one of my favorites. It was inspired by his dad’s observation about how it’s easy to fall in love on a vacation, but can you still love that person in the

CO S UL IE R DN’T BE HAPP

Were Vampires.” “It may be cliche,” she said, “but that one got us both bawling when it came out.” Getting a bit more personal, Kendra points to Bob Northway’s “Silver Dollar Trees,” which he performed at their wedding. “Bob was an open mic night regular who saw the beginning of our relationship,” she added, “so that one will always be special, too.”

Throughout their relationship — bandmates and lifemates entwined, “Zack wrote ‘You’re the One for Me’ about me, and I wrote ‘I Am the Waves’ for him,” Kendra explained, dropping Zack’s proposal came in the form of an original song.

“That being said,” she continued, “he insists his best love song is ‘Joni Girl’.” Written for their precious pooch, Zack makes a strong argument. “Valentine’s Day is actually Joni’s birthday. She’s turning 12, so we’re celebrating with a hike and apples — her favorite snack!”

As they gear up for a tour out west in April, BMBL will be at Southend Brewing in Greensboro on March 2nd; and are playing with the “Not Your Average Folk” 2023 winners, the Shoaldiggers at Yonder in Hillsborough on April 20. Sharing an appreciation for each other, Kendra extended love for the Triad music community, “We appreciate everyone who reads this article and supports live, local music!” https://www.brownmountainlightningbugs.com/

A

we once did,” Myranda admitted. “However, we’re trying to get back into the studio. Even though we’re not hitting the scene as hard right now, we still perform from time to time, and are available for bookings.”

Anyone looking to sample some Polk Duo sweetness can find their album, “Wonderful,” online. Cookies can be ordered on the Ky & Kol website, and are available in-store at the Town & Country Meat and Produce Market in Greensboro. https://www.thepolkduo.com/ https://www.kyandkolcookies.com/

KI YS POON D JOSH AN

“I was so embarrassed,” she continued.

“But we ended up dating shortly after and now we are married with two kids.”

Years passed. Their family grew. And in 2022, the pair picked up the reins as owners of the Flat Iron. “We really appreciate the support we’ve gotten in the last year and a half,” the couple said. “There was definitely some fear that some of the enthusiasm would fizzle out over time, but we are really proud and thankful that our support seems to continue to grow.”

They find that support mirrored within each other. “I’ve written so many songs about Abbey,” King insisted, referencing his most recent as “Another One For Abbey” (off King’s 2021 album “Feel Good”).

“But one of my favorites is ‘Bring Me Back In,’” he added. “She’s the only person that’s able to reel me in and calm me down when I’m getting too wild.”

Harkening to their beginnings, King links Teenage Fanclub’s “I Don’t Want Control of You” to their early romance. “When we first started dating, I took Abbey to Wilmington with me to record the Roseland album,” he said, ”and we listened to Teenage Fanclub on repeat.”

As for Valentine’s Day, “In a perfect world, our kids will be in bed early and we can get one of those dang heart-shaped pizzas and watch a movie.”

Down at the Flat Iron, WUAG and In the Beat of the Night will host an “Anti-Valentine’s Show” with THNG, Hermosa, and Dr. Shug. “Couples are invited too,” King said.

Extending invitations across the Triad music community, “We’re really trying to book more young, local bands to give them an opportunity to build in the area,” he continued. “We’re definitely still working hard to get bigger names and nationally touring acts, but we also want to be a home base for local bands, and create more opportunities for young artists.” https://flatirongso.com/ !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who plans to bump The King Khan & BBQ Show’s “Invisible Girl” and shout sweet everythings about her dude…“How about that — 10 years!!!” Cheers.

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

Angela Davis

Ella Baker

Martin Luther King Jr.

James Baldwin

Malcolm X

“Great Black Speakers” say the words some want to suppress “We are in a time when the states are trying to do away with Black History,” said writer, producer, and filmmaker Larry “Syid” Wright about “Great Black Speakers,” his event at the Greensboro History Museum, on Saturday, February 17th.

Wright was referring to recent eff orts by legislators in 30 states Ian McDowell to restrict what public schools can teach about this nation’s racial history, a movement that began in Contributor 2022 when Florida’s Ron DeSantis signed a bill preventing teaching certain concepts related to race, national origin or sex that could make students “uncomfortable.”

“We know why,” said Wright. “It’s because talking about how bad things were in the past means we also have to talk about how things are bad now. But the younger generation is really open to discussion. If the older people, their parents and grandparents, try to eliminate this conversation, it will keep the kids blind to the fact Black Americans are treated and have always been treated, as second-class citizens.”

And that’s why Wright created “Great Black Speakers,” so these historical voices could be heard.

“I’m doing this for, first of all, Black History Month, and secondly, to honor famous speakers like Malcolm X and Doctor King, but also others that don’t get mentioned as much, such as James Baldwin, who was a great speaker, writer and activist, as well as Medgar Evers, Ella Baker and others who should be better known.”

The program, which begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the 150-seat Mary Norris Preyer Hall Auditorium of the Greensboro History Museum at 130 Summit Avenue, will be hosted by Macelle Fowler and feature musical performances by Bob James and Paris White. Johny McNeil will speak the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and Jeffrey Wall, those of Malcolm X. The program will also feature the words of: Ella Baker, performed by Camilia L. Carter. Baker’s career as an organizer spanned more than five decades, and she worked alongside some of the most famous civil rights leaders of the 20th century, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

King. Biographer Barbara Ransby calls her “one of the most important American leaders of the 20th century.”

Besides organizing against racism, Baker warned of the dangers of professionalized leadership based on charismatic personalities and criticized sexism in the 1960s civil rights movement.

James Baldwin, performed by Tony Browley. Baldwin was an acclaimed novelist, essayist, poet, and playwright as well as activist, and a foundational figure in both African American and gay studies. While in Paris from 1948 until 1957, he discovered a sense of home and hope he’d never known in New York, where he had begun “Go Tell It on The Mountain,” the semiautobiographical novel he finished and published while living in France. Returning to the U.S., he became one of the most acclaimed writers and orators of the era.

His 1972 “No Name in the Street” deals at length with his reaction to the assassinations of his friends Evers, Malcolm, and King.

Angela Davis, performed by Corey Deez. Born in 1944 and the only one of these foundational figures still living, Davis is a political activist, philosopher, and academic who is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of California Santa Cruz. A former member of the Black Panther party, Davis became an ally of the revolutionary Geoge Jackson. When Jackson’s brother, Jonathan, and a trial judge were among those killed in an abortive escape attempt from the Hall of Justice in Marin County, California, Davis was accused of complicity and became a fugitive from the FBI. Arrested in 1970, she was acquitted of all charges. Among her writings are “Angela Davis: An Autobiography,” “Women, Race, & Class,” “Women, Culture, and Politics,” and “Are Prisons Obsolete?”

Medgar Evers, performed by Carlos Heredia. Evers was the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi, where he worked to end segregation at the University of Mississippi, end the segregation of public facilities, and expand voting rights. He was assassinated in the driveway of his Jackson home in 1963. Although his killer was arrested nine days later, the shooter was not convicted until 1994. Evers’ widow Myrlie Evers-Wilson also became a noted activist, as well as national chair of the NAACP Fannie Lou Hamer, performed by Tomeka Allen. Hamer was a voting and women’s rights activist and civil rights leader who represented the Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Democratic National Convention and co-

organized Mississippi’s Freedom Summer. While leading the civil rights movement for Black women in that state, she was harassed, shot at, and assaulted by Klansmen and police, but still enfranchised thousands of Black voters. !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

WANNA go?

Tickets for Great Black Speakers can be purchased via: pitchvineentetainment.ticketleap.com/great-black-speakers/.

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

13

last call

[TRIVIA TEST]

by Fifi Rodriguez

[1. TELEVISION: Which popular Netflix

[6. AD SLOGANS: Which company’s ad-

[2. HISTORY: When did Facebook

[7. LANGUAGE: What is the Latin

[3. MUSIC: Which pop music singer

[8. MYTHOLOGY: What is the name of

series features groups of teens nicknamed “Kooks” and “Pogues”? launch?

had hits with songs like “Changes” and “Let’s Dance”?

[4. GEOGRAPHY: What country possesses the Isle of Wight?

[5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of peacocks called?

vertising slogan is “the ultimate driving machine”? phrase often shortened to “i.e.”?

the maze that confined the Minotaur?

[9. MOVIES: Which movie has the tagline, “Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.”?

[10. LITERATURE: Shakespeare is

believed to have written approximately how many plays?

answer 1. Outer Banks.

2. 2004.

3. David Bowie.

4. England.

5. An ostentation or a pride.

6. BMW. 7. Id est (that is).

8. The Labyrinth.

9. Fight Club.

10. 37.

© 2024 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

[SALOME’S STARS] Week of February 19, 2024

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Put that restless Arian surge to good use this week by preparing your winter-weary home for spring. Also, be more flexible about accepting a workplace change.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) That new responsibility you’re now considering could lead to many opportunities. But be sure you have all the facts before you agree to take it on.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your well-known ability to be patient is challenged as you wait for more news about a promising opportunity that could lead you down a new career path.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) A friend might try to advise you against a potentially risky move. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but hear them out before you decide.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A setback in your travel plans could prove to be a blessing in disguise. Use this extra time to help close a growing gap between you and a family member.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) You might feel justified in demanding an apology, but it might be wiser to settle things so that today’s adversary doesn’t become tomorrow’s enemy.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Don’t let a sudden sense of separation between you and your partner go unchallenged. It’s important to make a strong effort to clear things up.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Good news: Expect a more positive aspect to dominate your personal and professional lives. In addition, someone close to you seeks your counsel.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Use the information you recently received to make some long-deferred changes regarding a personal situation. Also, continue to exercise financial restraint.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) A disappointment can turn into a learning experience. Now, at least, you know what not to do. Meanwhile, expect more options to open up.

Winston-Salem’s Hometown Station 96.7-FM / 980-AM / 1470-AM / wtob980.com

The Sportscenter Athletic Club is a private membership club dedicated to providing the ultimate athletic and recreational facilities for our members of all ages. Conveniently located in High Point, we provide a wide variety of activities for our members. We’re designed to incorporate the total fitness concept for maximum benefits and total enjoyment.

We cordially invite all of you to be a part of our athletic facility, while enjoying the membership savings we offer our established corporate accounts.

3811 Samet Dr • HigH Point, nC 27265 • 336.841.0100 FITNESS ROOM • INDOOR TRACK • INDOOR AQUATICS CENTER • OUTDOOR AQUATICS CENTER • RACQUETBALL BASKETBALL • CYCLING • OUTDOOR SAND VOLLEYBALL • INDOOR VOLLEYBALL • AEROBICS • MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM WHIRLPOOL • MASSAGE THERAPY • PROGRAMS & LEAGUES • SWIM TEAMS • WELLNESS PROGRAMS PERSONAL TRAINING • TENNIS COURTS • SAUNA • STEAM ROOM • YOGA • PILATES • FREE FITNESS ASSESSMENTS F REE E Q U I P M E N T O R I E N TAT I O N • N URSERY • T ENNIS LESSONS • W IRELESS INTERNET LOUNGE

14 YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

the good guys

Playing the Greatest Music of All Time Local News, Weather, Traffic & Sports

stream us at wtob980.com

PROUD SPONSOR OF The Checkup with Dr. Jon - Wednesdays at 7pm Don Mark’s Surfside - Saturdays Steve Finnegan - Weekdays from 6 -10am

WWW.YESWEEKLY.COMW

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) What goes around comes around as a friend from the past returns a favor. Don’t be timid about accepting it with good grace. You deserve it.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your spiritual strength helps you deal with a family member’s problem. Expect some difficulties, but stay with it until it’s ultimately resolved.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You can observe people and situations with absolute honesty. You’d be a fine social worker, psychoanalyst or member of the clergy. © 2024 by King Features Syndicate

answers [crossword] crossword on page 9

[weekly sudoku] sudoku on page 9

mwww.yesweekly.com

FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

YES! WEEKLY

15

CALL FOR FREE ESTIMATES! 336-689-7303

Custom Decking • Patios • Fencing Home Repair • Handy Work & More

Immediately Hiring Skilled Builders! Call Andy at 336-689-7303